


I Don't Want You to Hide

by SherlockianSyndromes



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dorms, M/M, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianSyndromes/pseuds/SherlockianSyndromes
Summary: Evan the art major and Rodney the science major are roommates at their college dorm - and it's hard to concentrate when your roommate is stupidly attractive.





	1. Life Drawing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate Atlantis/Any, Evan Lorne +/ Any, roommates at college.
> 
> Being an art major gives you a good excuse to sketch your crush...

“Mind if I sketch you?”

Evan’s question seemed innocent enough once he’d said the words aloud. But when his roommate Rodney glanced up from his textbook, both irritation and confusion furrowing his brow, Evan felt his heart stutter.

Not so innocent, as it turned out.

“Why?” Rodney asked, his voice defensive.

Evan shrugged. “No reason. Just need something to sketch, and you’re here.”

Rodney scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Glad I’m such an inspiration to you. Whatever. I’m not holding still though.”

Evan tried to bite back a grin and failed. “Don’t need to. It’s just a rough sketch.”

They sat in companionable silence after that, Rodney turning the pages of his textbook and Evan drawing lines that became shapes that became a rough likeness of Rodney McKay, lost in thought.

He was beautiful.

Evan dated the sketch in the bottom right corner and carefully wrote out his initials - EBL. He tore the page from his sketchbook, folded it in half, and stood up from his bed.

“Gotta go. Here.”

He gently tossed the paper onto Rodney’s open textbook. Rodney picked it up immediately, unfolding it to see what he’d been given.

Evan couldn’t quite read his face, but he noticed Rodney’s temples were flushed pink.

“You can throw it out if you want. Thanks for letting me practice.” Evan turned to leave their cramped dorm room.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

Evan glanced back. “Modeling for a life drawing class.”

“Wait - you mean like -” Rodney sputtered but didn’t finish his thought, so Evan finished it for him.

“I’ll be modeling nude, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Rodney gulped, his face a deeper shade of red now. “Oh.”

“See you later, McKay.”

~

The next day, Evan spotted his sketch sticking out of one of Rodney’s several textbooks.

He smiled.


	2. Undisclosed Desires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate Atlantis, Rodney McKay/Evan Lorne, the secrets we keep from ourselves.
> 
> Drinking is probably a bad idea, right?

Rodney walked into his dorm room just in time to see Evan knocking back a swig of tequila straight from the bottle.

Both of them froze. After a moment of silence, Evan cleared his throat.

“Weren’t you working at the lab tonight?”

Rodney blinked, shaking his head. “Chemistry demo ran long. They decided they didn’t need me.”

Evan ran a hand through his hair, then screwed the cap back on the fifth of tequila. “I’m sorry, I thought I was going to be on my own for a while -”

“No, it’s...fine.”

“You’re not going to tell the RA, are you?” Evan asked, his words coming out in a rush.

Rodney raised an eyebrow. “First of all, I’m not a narc, thank you. Second of all, I especially won’t tell if you share it with me.”

Rodney felt his heart leap into his throat as he spoke. What was the old saying - fortune favors the bold?

Evan grinned, and proffered the tequila. “Be my guest.”

~

They had drank about three-fourths of the bottle when the game began.

“What kind of game is this? You want me to randomly guess something about you?”

Rodney sat on his bed, his back leaned up against the hard concrete wall. His whole body felt warm and comfortable. It was nice after being so wound up and stressed about school all the time.

Evan took another sip and hopped onto Rodney’s bed next to him. Rodney tried not to think about how close they were sitting next to one another, tried not to imagine Evan modeling in the life drawing class -

“C’mon, Rodney. Think of it as getting to know each other. I’ll go first.”

Rodney nodded. What could go wrong?

“You -” Evan drew out the word, a goofy smile on his face. “You used to be...involved in the arts somehow.”

Rodney felt a knot form in his chest. He frowned.

Evan frowned in return. “Am I wrong?”

“No,” Rodney muttered, “you’re not wrong. It’s just not something I talk about.”

“Why? What happened?” Evan’s head tilted to the side.

“I was a pianist. My parents started me young, so by the time I was twelve years old, they were calling me a prodigy.”

He paused.

“My piano teacher felt differently though. I’ll never forget what she said. _‘Rodney, your technical form is absolutely superb. There’s no questioning that. But there isn’t any _soul_ in your performance.’_”

Rodney stared off into space, reliving the memory vividly. He felt something grab at his hand and looked down to see Evan’s hand in his.

“Anyway,” Rodney continued, his voice quiet, “after that, I quit. Didn’t really seem worth it anymore. I’m more suited for science, regardless.”

Evan passed over the bottle, which Rodney accepted with fervor.

“I’m sorry,” Evan whispered, “I didn’t mean to -”

Rodney shook his head. “It’s fine.”

“I’m joining the Air Force ROTC,” Evan blurted out.

Rodney looked over at Evan, then down at their still-joined hands.

“Just, you know,” Evan continued, “if we’re sharing things we don’t know about each other.”

“But you’re an art major.”

Evan laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “Yeah, an art major whose scholarship runs out next semester. Besides, who says an art major can’t be in the military?”

Rodney shrugged, unsure of what to say. Until -

“What made you think I was a musician or whatever?”

The smile returned to Evan’s face. “I don’t know. Just a feeling. Might be the way you throw yourself at your schoolwork and internship and basically any other thing you’re passionate about -”

Rodney cut Evan off by kissing him on the mouth.

When Rodney pulled back, he saw only shock on Evan’s face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that -”

Evan surged forward, pushing Rodney down onto the bed and kissing him soundly.

~

Rodney opened his eyes. It was morning now and the sun was shining through the blinds and right onto his face and why did he have such a pounding headache -

And then he felt another body next to him, and it all came flooding back. Tequila, giggling, confessions, and lots of kissing. He was shocked that Evan was still sleeping in bed next to him, instead of moving back to his own bed.

Not that he was complaining.

He checked his watch. His astrophysics class had already started, but with this headache and the queasiness he felt in the pit of his stomach, Rodney knew today would be a mulligan.

Evan stirred, and Rodney felt his entire body freeze as Evan shifted around. He turned to look at Rodney and smiled.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Evan asked, voice raspy.

Rodney nodded, which made him wince. “Yeah, but this hangover says otherwise.”

Evan hesitated. “Do you...regret last night?”

“No. Do you?”

“No,” Evan whispered, his smile lighting up his entire face. Rodney couldn’t help but smile too.

“If we’re taking the day off,” Evan continued, “we could go get breakfast. There’s a diner a few blocks from campus.”

Rodney yawned. “Good idea. I’ll need coffee at some point. But -”

“But what?” Evan asked.

“But my head hurts and I just want to lie here with you for a while.”

Evan nodded, scooting closer to Rodney and tentatively draping an arm across his hip. Rodney relaxed under his touch and tried to burn the memory of it into his mind as he drifted back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
